


The Broker

by Tenshinrtaiga



Category: Smallville
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-04-08
Updated: 2012-08-16
Packaged: 2017-11-03 06:05:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/378130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tenshinrtaiga/pseuds/Tenshinrtaiga
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU! What if Chloe never moved to Smallville? Starts S6: Chloe visits Lois during Thanksgiving at the Kents and meets Oliver Queen and Clark Kent.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Lois eagerly rocked back and forth on her heels. She felt like a little kid; she hadn’t felt this excited in years. Nervously biting her lip, a large grin spread over her lips. Lois let out a small squeal of joy before rocking back and forth once more.

“Gosh, Lois. Who knew you were capable of acting like such a girl,” Clark stated in amusement from where he and Oliver were sitting on the whicker couch on the Kent Farm porch.

“Shut up, Smallville. I haven’t seen my Baby Cuz in years. God, I wonder what she looks like,” Her eyes glazed over in thought before a smirk came over her lips, “Probably smokin’ hot. She is a Lane, after all.”

Oliver snickered at his girlfriend’s comment, “I’ve never heard you mention a cousin before. What’s she like?” He asked.

Lois whirled around, grinning from ear to ear, “Oh, you’d love her. Trust me. From her emails, it sounds like the two of you are a lot alike. My uncle Gabe used to work for LuthorCorp back in the day. You know how his mighty baldness got sent here all those years ago? Uncle Gabe was supposed to go with him, but Chloe refused to give up the city life and Wayne Enterprise offered him a better deal. They moved to Gotham for a few years, but after that they moved all over the world for Uncle Gabe’s work,” Lois’ eyes glazed over as she began to think out loud, “We both grew up traveling to different cities, different countries… Never staying in one place, never setting down…” Her eyes held a vulnerability, “It’s a tough life,” Suddenly, as if realizing what she was saying, she put up a cheery smile and continued her story, “Anyway, after dad got transferred to Metropolis and I settled into Smallville, I asked her to come visit me, but we were never able to make time. Chloe was always jetting off to some new place or going to some big hoity toity gala and after dad got transferred again, I had to balance school and a job to pay my rent so that I could stay here and things just never worked out. I haven’t really seen her since high school,” a huge grin and a sparkle in her eye appeared, “And now she’s coming for Thanksgiving! I can’t wait to see her!”

Oliver raised an eyebrow in surprise, “Well, I think I see her right now,” He said nodding his head toward a shiny black Lamborghini racing down the road. His eyebrow inched higher as the car took a sharp turn into the Kent driveway, kicking up dust and rocks as it raced up toward the house before skidding into a half-turn stop.

Clark’s eyes widened at the display of reckless driving, worrying already at the prospect of two Lanes.

Now that the car was closer, Oliver could see that he was mistaken about the car. Instead of black, it was a dark forest green. He gave a smirk, his girlfriend’s cousin had good taste.

Suddenly the door flew open vertically allowing for one shapely leg to emerge and then another. Suddenly a hot blonde appeared, a cool look on her sunglass covered face as she scanned the property. Oliver choked on his own spit in surprise at the same time a wide grin overtook the girl’s face when she heard a scream and immediately noticed the tall brunette running straight for her, “Lois!”

“Chloe!” Lois screeched, throwing her arms around her little cousin, “How are you! Dig the car.”

Chloe laughed, taking off her sunglasses and linking arms with the other girl as she was led up a few steps to a porch, “Thanks. I just bought it.”

“Okay, here we go. Guys, this is my cousin. Chloe this is my best friend slash mortal enemy Clark Kent,” Lois introduced as Clark rolled his eyes. Chloe grinned and shook his hand as Lois continued, “And this is my boyfriend, Oliver Queen,” Lois finished.”

Chloe smiled, “Actually, you may not remember, but we’ve already met at the-“

“New York Governor’s Party,” Oliver finished, causing Chloe’s smile to widen, “I remember.”

Lois grinned, “Well, would you look at that. Small world. Now let’s get inside, I smell pie.”

Clark rolled his eyes at the typical Lois Lane response as she dragged Chloe inside the warm farmhouse.

“Senator Kent, Mr. Luthor, this is my cousin Chloe Sullivan. Chloe, this is Martha Kent and Lionel Luthor,” Lois introduced proudly.

Amusement entered Chloe’s eyes at Lois’ contagious happiness as she warmly shook Martha’s hand, but the happiness quickly faded as she reluctantly grasped Lionel’s hand in greeting, “Mr. Luthor.”

“Ms. Sullivan. It has been quite sometime. How are you, my dear?” Lionel asked, placing his other hand on top of their connected hands, forcing her to keep holding on.

Chloe bared her teeth in a vaguely smile-like gesture, “I’m fantastic. How’s business?”

“LuthorCorp is doing quite well. Let’s sit down,” He spoke, addressing everyone as he turned and headed toward the Thanksgiving spread.

Lois saddled up to her cousin, “You know him?”

Chloe grunted an unclear response as she was unfortunately forced to sit next to Lionel and across from Lois. At the head of the table and to Chloe’s left sat Clark, with Martha at the other end and Oliver to the right of Lois, across from Lionel.

After everyone had spooned some food onto their plates, Martha asked, “Chloe, I noticed you have quite a car. What is it that you do? I don’t think Lois ever mentioned.”

“I’m an information broker,” Chloe replied easily, “Not all exciting really.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say so,” Lionel interrupted, “After all, your work in the corporate sector as well as within the government is certainly nothing to be scoffed at.”

Martha’s eyebrow raised, “Government? I’m sorry, dear, but what exactly is an information broker?”

Chloe sighed imperceptibly, cursing Lionel in her head, “I’m basically a researcher. Somebody- corporations, governments, whoever- hires me to find out about a specific topic or to find the answer to a question.”

“Well, it seems to pay very well,” Clark spoke, “You seem to be doing very well for yourself,” He smiled pointedly at Lois.

"Yeah, yeah, Smallville. Whatever. I’m proud of my baby cuz for making so much dough,” She snarked back.

Lionel took this opportunity to interrupt again, “Yes, I’m very surprised to see you here. I would have expected you off gallivanting with my son.”

Everyone froze at the revelation. Chloe rolled her eyes. Luthors.

“I’m spending the holiday with my cousin. Thanksgiving is a time for family,” She said pointedly.

Lionel addressed her jab, “I’m sure my son wanted some alone time with his new girlfriend. I’m sure he misses you, though. Aren’t you normally the one dragging him out with you? I seem to recall having to take over several conference calls last St. Patrick’s Day because you talked Lex into pub crawling with you in New York. You and Lex have always spent the holidays together.”

Chloe clenched her teeth, aware of the eyes now turned to her. It was like a tennis match. Well, if Lionel wanted verbal judo, he’d get it, “Yes, it’s true, we do normally holiday together. No one likes to celebrate alone,” She scathed at the absentee father, “However, since I am in Metropolis, I am spending time with my family and meeting Lex for lunch tomorrow.”

Lionel conveniently overlooked the insult, “Ah, I see. So you are still spending the holidays with my son. That’s good. Have you met Ms. Lang yet? I’m sure Lex is quite excited for the two women in his lives to meet.”

Again, eyes turned to Chloe, “Women in his life? I’m not sure what you’re implying, but as far as I’m aware, the only woman in his life is Lana Lang.”

Lionel smirked in victory, “I did not mean to imply anything about you, Ms. Sullivan. I merely meant that his best friend and his girlfriend are meeting each other for the first time. I’m sure Lex is hopeful that the two of you will become friends.”

The blonde’s hand squeezed and un-squeezed as she tried to reign in her temper, “I’m sure Lana and I will be perfectly fine,” Chloe grit out, mentally acknowledging his win before forcefully turning to Lois, “Can you please pass the green beans?” She asked, a fake smile across her lips.

An equally fake smile plastered itself on the brunette’s mouth as she did as asked, but the look in her eyes said her cousin had some explaining to do.

Other than the small bit of verbal judo, dinner went along quickly, the participants doing what they could to limit conversation between Lionel and Chloe. Soon enough, Lionel was saying goodbye and leaving while Mrs. Kent went to wash dishes, allowing the “young ones to talk” as she put it.

As Clark and Lois got into their third argument of the night, Chloe slipped outside to the porch for some air… And promptly started choking, “What is that?!” She asked aloud as she coughed.

“I believe it’s called fresh air,” Oliver spoke from behind her laughingly, causing her to startle and turn around.

“Well, it’s disgusting,” She spoke as she took a sip from the mug filled with hot apple cider in her hand, before turning to lean on the porch railings once more.

Oliver chuckled as he moved to lean on the railing beside her, “City girl like you, I’m not surprised you think so.”

“Oh, and you’re some kind of country bumpkin, now?” Chloe asked skeptically.

She smiled as his face lit up in laughter, “No, not exactly,” He looked over at her and their eyes locked. He reached a hand out and tucked a strand of straight blonde hair behind her ear, “It’s really good to see you, Chlo.”

She smiled as she automatically leaned into his hand, “You too.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chloe sighed, enjoying the feel of Oliver’s hand on her face, before pulling away, “So, Lois, huh? I can honestly say I did not see that one coming,” She smiled widely, trying to disguise the small pang of hurt she felt at the thought.

Oliver’s grin faded, “I had no idea she was your cousin.”

Chloe gave a genuine soft smile, “Yeah, we get that a lot. We are pretty different. Do you know what you want to do?”

“Do?” He asked in confusion as he watched her nervously fiddle with her cup.

“About our history. Are you going to tell her?” She clarified, taking a sip of now-cold cider, trying to distract herself from the current awkwardness.

Realization entered Oliver’s eyes before he winced at what that meant, “Right. I should. That would be the honest thing to do.”

An airy chuckle escaped Chloe’s lips, “I see you haven’t changed. All about honesty and fairness,” She looked up at him with sincere fondness, “I think I’ve missed you, Mr. Queen,” Her expression hardened as she went back to the topic, “I don’t think you need to tell Lo. I mean, it would only hurt her. Besides, it was one night at a party a long time ago.”

Oliver paused, considering her words, “True, but we both know it was more than just some night… I told you things that I’ve never told anyone before,” He stopped, trying to gage her reaction.

“…Ditto,” She sighed, “So, what do we say?”

“Nothing,” He decided on the spot, “You’re right. Our past doesn’t change how I feel about Lois and this would only hurt her. And even if it does become a problem, it’s not like you’re staying here that long. Thanksgiving, right?”

Chloe winced, but internally was unsure if it was due to the brush off of what they had or because what he said wasn’t strictly true, “Actually, I haven’t seen Lois in years. I was kinda thinking about hanging around for a while, catch up. See what exactly this town has to offer her that she’s been willing to stay here for so long.”

Oliver blinked in surprise. Chloe had always been a city girl, so for her to want to stay in Smallville…

Knowing what he was thinking, she smiled, “And by hang around here, what I really meant was hang around Metropolis. Lois may be fine with a commute, but I am not.”

Amused, he couldn’t help the smile that crossed his lips as he spoke, “I see. So we are agreed on Lois?”

“Yes. She likes you and I wouldn’t want our past to hurt her.”

Oliver nodded and they drifted into a slightly uncomfortable silence. Finally, unable to bare the silence, he asked the one question that had been nagging at his mind since dinner, “So, you and Lex… are friends?”

Chloe knew that something had been bugging Oliver, but inwardly smiled in amusement when he finally revealed what it was, “Yes. We’ve been friends for many years.”

“Cool,” He nodded, his arm lifting in an effort to nonchalantly wrap around the porch column, while his fingers went white with pressure as he gripped the wood hard. It was clearly not cool at all, “Did you two… date?”

Biting her lip hard, Chloe bit back a laugh, “Yes. Briefly.”

“Huh,” his fingers went even whiter as his hand began to shake with force, “Didn’t know he was your type.”

“I didn’t know I had one.”

He nodded, going along with that while mentally swearing at Lex Luthor and picturing doing all sorts of unpleasant things Oliver could do to the man.

Chloe averted her eyes from the tense man beside her and tried to take in the scenery. It was dark out and she could barely make out the road she had come in on. There was a large barn on her far left and to the right she could only just see a fence enclosing what she assumed was some sort of pasture. Finally, taking pity on Oliver, she spoke, “Of course, Lex and I dated a long time ago. That’s ancient history; we’re just friends now. I’ve actually been to all of his weddings,” she laughed lightly.

Knowing that Chloe was friends with Lex did not make Oliver feel better. Knowing that they had a romantic history made him feel worse. All he could picture now was his Chloe. The Chloe he had met more than a year ago: beautiful, charismatic and wry as they danced to the music and later made love between his sheets. But instead of him in bed with Chloe, it was… ugh. Oliver shuddered at the mental picture.

Not noticing Oliver’s wandering mind, Chloe continued, “I actually try to stay friends with all of my ex-s. Since you’re dating my cousin, that maybe something we should try… Though technically we were more of a one-night stand,” she smiled

Attention back on the here and now, Oliver grinned and nodded, “Definitely. That night… there was more than just sex. Like I said, the things I told… I’ve never felt more comfortable with a person that I was with you. I think it would be great if we were friends,” he responded genuinely.

“Okay. So, in the spirit of this new found friendship, Clark… Is he seeing anyone?” Chloe asked. She may not be getting the blond billionaire she had spent many nights dreaming of, but that didn’t mean she was going to spend her nights sulking over ‘what-could-have-been’s and her cousin’s luck.

He choked on air. Did she seriously just ask…? “Clark? Kent?” Since when had boring ‘stick-in-the-mud’s become her type. Chloe preferred them charming and adventurous and- This was none of his business, Oliver thought to himself. They were friends. Friends, he repeated, did not get jealous when their friends went out on dates with annoying farm boys who wouldn’t know a good time if it hit them in the back of the head with Kryptonite, “He’s not dating anyone, but he’s sort of still hung up on his ex, Lana.”

“Lana Lang?” Chloe asked, surprised, “So, me talking about Lex introducing me to his girlfriend… that was…”

“Awkward,” He finished, smirking in amusement.

Chloe took her last gulp of ice cold cider to hide her wince. That was quite foot-in-the-mouth moment she had earlier and Chloe could feel the awkwardness curl in her stomach. Huh, she wondered if this was what it felt like to be Lois.

The front door swung open with a force and speaking of Lois, there she was in all her temper, “There you guys are. You’ve been out here this entire time? I cannot believe you left me alone with Smallville!”

“Sorry, Lois,” Oliver smiled, taking in his girlfriend’s flushed face and heaving chest as she tried to calm herself down from whatever she and Clark had been fighting about this time.

Lois strode over to them and linked her arms with Chloe and Oliver, “So, you two talk? Get to know each other? Did Chloe interrogate you?” She asked, eying her cousin suspiciously.

“We did talk, but there was no interrogation. I promise,” Chloe held up her fingers in scout’s honor.

“Oh, please. Like you were a scout,” Lois rolled her eyes before turning to look at Oliver, “Are you ready to head out ‘cause I’m sick of CONDESCENDING FARM BOYS ALWAYS THINKING THEY’RE RIGHT!” She yelled back into the house causing Chloe and Oliver to wince at her volume.

Clark appeared at the door, “Maybe if you stopped proving me right all the time, I wouldn’t be so condescending,” He smiled at her increasingly angry face before holding out her jacket, “Here. It’s cold outside.”

Lois looked down at the coat before looking at Chloe and Oliver who had both had the fore-sight to put on their jackets before coming out into the chilly air. She sighed before reaching out to grad it, but Clark already held out the opening, forcing her to turn as he helped her put it on. Inwardly, Lois seethed, knowing he was only acting gentlemanly because he knew how it would anger her even more, “I’m kind of tired. You ready to head out?” She asked the two blonds, ignoring Clark’s smug smile for clearly having gotten to her.

“Sure,” Chloe responded, handing her cup to Clark when he reached to take it, “Thank you for allowing me to crash. It was nice meeting you”

“It’s no problem,” Clark responded kindly, “Nice meeting you too.”

“Thanks, again, Clark,” Oliver gave the man a handshake, “Tell your mom thanks too.”

Clark nodded as he watched the trio head down the stairs before returning inside the house.

“Wanna see my place, Cuz?” Lois asked as she walked toward Oliver’s car and Chloe separated to walk toward hers.

“Sure,” Chloe smiled, “I’ll follow you,” she responded before ducking into her Lambo and starting the engine. She waited for Oliver to leave first, following his lead. As she drove she contemplated the discussion she just had. Was it really right to hide this from her own cousin? What Lois didn’t know couldn’t hurt her, but secrets had a way of coming out- usually at the worst time possible.


	3. Chapter 3

“You live over a coffee shop,” Chloe spoke as soon as she exited her car. Her eyes were glued above to the slightly tacky ‘Talon’ sign and the building’s other movie theater-like features, “You **live** over a _coffee shop_. Had I known that before, I definitely would have come to visit sooner,” she teased.

Lois laughed as she slipped one hand into Oliver’s and one arm through Chloe’s dragging them into the building together, “Well, us Sullivan-Lane girls do love our coffee.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow, “Well, I know how much coffee Lois drinks. I can’t imagine there being two of you.”

Chloe smiled as she followed Lois up the stairs to her apartment, “Actually, I drink more coffee than Lois. Almost twice as much.”

Oliver froze in shock, mentally calculating the amount. That… was a lot of coffee.

“Okay, I get. You’re an addict,” Lois interrupted, arm holding her front door open, “Can we get this show moving before my arm cramps up?”

Chloe rolled her eyes but walked through the open door and looked inside, “Well, it’s certainly… colorful.”

Lois held up her hands in surrender before throwing her keys onto the messy kitchen counter and throwing her purse and jacket onto the sofa, “Don’t look at me. Lana decorated the place.”

The blonde merely hmm-ed as she mentally made a note to look at the interior of Luthor mansion to see whether it was now similarly tacky. It was unlikely that Lex had allowed Lana the privilege of redecorating his home, but it was an amusing thought, none-the-less.

Lois and Oliver began quietly talking in the kitchen as Chloe shamelessly explored- ie. snooped. She started on the left with what had to be Lois’ bedroom given the sheer state of chaos. There were clothes thrown everywhere, dirty coffee mugs littered any available surface and in the corner was a can filled with trash that was getting dangerously high. In the bathroom, Chloe fumbled for a light as she tripped on what she prayed was a wet towel and not some sort of growing fungus.

As the light flickered on, Chloe’s faith was rewarded as she stepped over a still wet towel to look at a small cluttered bathroom counter filled with makeup supplies, a hair dryer and a straightener. Sighing at her cousin’s uncontrollable mess, Chloe flipped off the light and returned to the main area.

Over the couch was the jacket and purse Lois had thrown earlier and on the coffee table, there were several old copies of the Daily Planet with large red pen marks criticizing articles and several funny faces drawn on politicians. Inwardly, Chloe rolled her eyes at her cousin’s childishness, but then mentally paused to giggle. Lois’ art had gotten better over the years.

Chloe made her way across the room, bypassing the kitchen where Lois and Oliver were now watching her inspection with amused smiles on their lips. Across the kitchen area, next to the door, was a little eating area. Chloe knew that Lois had never used this space because the table was perfectly neat and orderly.

Then, on the opposite side of the door was a large nook that housed a spare bed. The area was suitably boring; neatness once again proving that Lois never used it. Finally, Chloe wandered into the kitchen to stand next to Oliver, facing Lois.

“Well?” Lois asked, bringing a water bottle to her lips.

“You need a maid,” Chloe answered honestly, earning a snort from Oliver’s direction.

Lois rolled her eyes. This was clearly not the first time she had heard someone tell her that, “Yeah, yeah. Enough about my cleaning habits. What do you think?”

“I liked the face you drew on Lionel Luthor,” She responded, lips twitching at the responding glare she received.

Lois shrugged, visibly giving up her faux anger, “Yeah, it is some of my best work. But what do you think about my apartment!”

Now Oliver turned to look at Chloe, interested to hear her response as well. Chloe purposefully paused, waiting to respond to just before Lois blew her top, “…You did good, cuz.”

Lois beamed, “Yeah?”

Chloe gave Lois her famed mega-watt smiled, “Yeah.”

The brunette squealed happily and gave her cousin a huge hug, “I was really worried you wouldn’t like it.”

Laughing, Chloe hugged back, “In fact, I love it so much, I’m thinking about staying.”

Lois froze in the blonde’s arms before slowly backing away enough to look her cousin in the face, “Staying?” She asked, not allowing any hope to bleed into her voice or to show on her face.

“If that’s okay with you,” Chloe asked, looking at her cousin’s face to measure her reaction, “I haven’t seen you in years and I want to see what could possibly keep the Lois Lane in one place. I’ve already got a real estate agent searching for apartments in Metropolis and I have a meeting to look at some places tomorrow. So, yeah. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay for a while.”

“You’re staying in one place… for more that a few months… for me?” Lois asked, surprised, “I mean, of course its okay. I want to catch up with you, I want you to see what my life is like. I’m just… surprised. You’ve never been one to stay still.”

Chloe smiled, “Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m planting roots, but even I’m capable of staying in one place for longer than a couple of months.”

Lois squealed and gripped her cousin close. After a while, Chloe began feeling suffocated, so she gently dislodged her cousin’s arms.

“Okay, not that this love-fest isn’t fun, but I think we’re making Oliver feel uncomfortable,” She smiled at the other blond, “It’s getting kinda late and I still have to drive back to Metropolis so I think it’s time I head out.”

“You can stay with me, cuz,” Lois offered, reaching out to grab Chloe’s hand before the blonde could turn to leave.

“That’s sweet, Lo. But I’ve got that meeting tomorrow and it would be much easier to look at Metropolis apartments if I was, ya know, in Metropolis. Plus, you know me and country girl I am not.”

With an over exaggerated sigh, Lois gave in before wrapping her cousin in a hug goodbye. Then she turned to Oliver, “What about you? Are you going to abandon me too?”

Oliver grimaced slightly. Staying the night meant sexy fun. It also meant admitting to staying the night in front of Chloe, his former… whatever, “I’m gonna have to pass. Sorry, but with all the drama that’s been happening lately,” namely his foray into healing enhancing drugs, “I think I’m just gonna head home.”

Nodding in acceptance, Lois walked the pair to the door. Chloe was clearly curious about what had ‘been happening lately’ but wisely kept her mouth shut. As Lois closed the door behind the two blondes, an awkward silence descended between the pair.

Once she exited the Talon and shivered at the cold gust of November wind, Chloe made a decision, “Were you serious about wanting to just go home?”

Oliver raised an eyebrow, “Sort of. Why? What did you have in mind?”

A mischievous grin stole its way across her features, “Well, you know how we said we’d try the friendship thing? I vote we work on it right now.”

Oliver’s other brow went up to meet his first, “Thinking something specific?”

“Oh, I have something in mind…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Urgh,” Oliver groaned as he opened his eyes to the sunlight and received a lightning bolt of pain through his head in response, “What happened?”

A feminine moan answered back from next to him, causing him to pause. He remembered dinner, Chloe, the Talon and saying no to spending the night with Lois, so who was in his bed with him?

As if knowing what he was thinking, a tousled blonde head appeared at the foot of the bed, “Anyone get the license plate on that thing?” She groaned, her hand coming up to her aching head.

“Chloe?” Oliver asked, slightly surprised.

Clearly surprised too, Chloe whipped her head around before collapsing back on the bed in pain from the sudden movement. Oliver was on top of his rumpled sheets whereas Chloe was underneath the covers, her feet on the pillow next to him and her head at the bottom of the bed. Thankfully, they both appeared fully clothed.

“Huh. I knew that seventh shot of tequila was a mistake,” Chloe pondered out loud as she turned to face the ceiling.

Oliver smiled despite himself, “At least you remember that seventh shot of tequila. After we hit that third club, the night became a total blur. I don’t remember a thing.”

After a moment of quiet pondering, Chloe suddenly tensed, “Oliver?”

“Hmm,” He muttered noncommittally.

“Are you playing with my feet?”

Raising an eyebrow at her, he responded, “Noo,” before looking at her toes, which were lying less than a foot away from his face, “Holy shit.”

“What?” Chloe asked worriedly as she sat up to look at her feet, “What the… is that a lemur?”


	4. Chapter 4

Chloe stepped out onto the street only to be forced back on the sidewalk by a speeding taxi and its insistent horn. Growling, she checked her watch. She had to run six blocks in less than two minutes. There was no way she was going to make it on time. The light finally turned red and she sped across the street, making her way through the throng of people. Lex was going to be so annoyingly smug if she showed up late.

 

Five minutes later, she skidded slightly as she stopped speed walking, her long black vest flapping against her light grey sweater dress with the force of her stop. She teetered precariously for a moment in her black wedge knee high boots before quickly regaining her balance and walking into the trendy café. She slipped her aviator sunglasses on top of her head as she simultaneously looked around for Lex. Spotting him- or more accurately, his bald head- she made her way to the back corner of the outside patio. One look at his smirking face told her that not only had he noticed she was late, but that he had witnessed her rush and her almost-fall.

 

Blatantly turning her head as she walked up, she addressed the beautiful, petite Asian at his side, “Hello. Sorry I’m late. You must be Lana,” She grinned brightly reaching out a hand to shake before sitting opposite Lex and to Lana’s right. Still ignoring a now even more amused Lex, she waved over a waiter, “Have you guys ordered yet? I’m starving. I swear I walked all over Metropolis this morning.”

 

Chloe’s comment finally brought Lex’s attention away from his own amusement, “You know that you can stay at the penthouse. It’s not an issue,” Lex said in a slightly exasperated tone. Chloe rolled her eyes, but said nothing; her silence holding a tense meaning. This was clearly an argument they’d had before.

 

Easily noticing that she was missing something, Lana spoke up, “I don’t understand. You’re looking for a place?” She asked.

 

Chloe nodded as she perused the menu the waiter handed her and her companions, “Yes. I’ve recently decided to spend some time with my cousin so I’ve decided to get a place in Metropolis. I’m planning on staying here for at least six months, but I’m considering keeping the apartment up for future visits. So, I’ve actually decided to buy an apartment instead of renting one.”

 

Lex raised an eyebrow. Apparently this was a new development. “I’m surprised that you’re planning on staying in one place for six months. Now, you’re buying a place?” He spoke skeptically clearly wondering whether this was a good decision.

 

The blonde nodded noncommittally, not really paying attention as she narrowed down her food options, “I stay in one place if I have reason to. Obviously, I stay in Gotham for long periods of time because it’s my home. I only stay in the Philippines for a few weeks because that’s where I vacation. I stay in London because that’s where I find sexy accented men…” She trailed off at the looks she received, “That was a joke… sort of.”

 

Lana shrugged easily with a hint of a smile. She clearly understood the appeal of a man with a British accent. Lex, on the other hand, looked somewhere between offended and jealous.

 

“Do you know what you want to eat?” Lana asked, noticing the slightly tense air and deciding to change the subject. After receiving two grunts of agreement, she nodded over at the waiter to indicate that they were ready. Lex ordered a rare steak and a side salad. Lana ordered a Caesar salad with extra chicken and cheese. Chloe’s order raised an eyebrow from both Lana and the waiter. She ordered a double cheeseburger with all the fixings except for onions and a side of mashed potatoes with gravy.

 

“Wow,” Lana smiled, “I wish I could eat like that,” She smiled enviously at Chloe’s small waist.

 

Chloe blinked before looking down at her slim body and mentally compared it to Lana’s. Chloe looked positively fat in comparison to the tiny Asian, “I work out a lot to make up for my ability to eat whatever I want,” She answered simply, mentally adding especially considering my after-hours job, with a smirk. Deciding to change the subject, Chloe finally turned to Lex, “So, I saw your dad yesterday.”

 

Lex paused for a moment before carrying on with faux ease, “Oh?”

 

The blonde smiled cruelly, “Yeah. I can see why patricide is a Luthor family tradition.” Lana choked slightly at the blunt insult whereas Lex’s lips involuntarily rose into a genuine smile. Chloe was pretty sure somewhere in the world a puppy just died.

 

The trio held a light conversation throughout the meal. As they were finishing up, Lana excused herself to go to the bathroom before they paid, leaving Lex and Chloe an opportunity to talk in private.

 

“I like her,” Chloe announced taking a small sip of her iced water.

 

Lex raised an eyebrow, “Really?” He said skeptically. Lana was the anti-Chloe; delicate and feminine. It was surprising to hear Chloe liked her.

 

As if reading his thoughts, she responded, “I can appreciate traits other than my own,” Seeing that Lex was taking that at face value, she continued on, “That being said, she’s entirely wrong for you.”

 

The man sighed, “How so?” He asked, resignedly.

 

Chloe reached a hand out to lay it on top of his own. His eyes looked down at the familiar sight before looking back up into her eyes. “You are a strong man. You’re brilliant and powerful and not everyone can handle the kind of lifestyle you lead. Lana is the type of woman that needs to be pampered and adored constantly. I’m not saying she’s weak because I’m sure that under the right circumstances she could be a force to be reckoned with. I’m just saying that you can’t be what she needs and she isn’t what you need,” Chloe leaned back, taking in his unsurprised face, “But you already knew that.” Lex hummed noncommittally and drank from his own water. Chloe sighed, “I hope you know what you’re doing. Life is more than just a game.”

~~~

Lois grinned widely, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet as she impatiently waited for the elevator to take her up to her boyfriend’s apartment. She itched to share her good news with the man in her life.

 

Reaching out as the elevator finally stopped, she pulled the metal screen aside and pushed the elevator door up. She didn’t immediately see Oliver so she walked in further, about to shout his name when she stopped in surprise.

 

In the back corner of his living room was Oliver, half naked and sweaty in a complex yoga position. Since Ollie was an exercise buff, that wasn’t unexpected. What was unexpected was her baby cousin next to him in a clinging pair of black yoga pants and a white spaghetti strapped top over a black tank. She was also in a complicated yoga position.

 

In synchronization, the duo shifted out of their position and moved into an undoing pose for several seconds before once again moving into a pose that made Lois question whether there were any bones in either of their bodies at all.

 

As Lois got closer, she became aware of an increase in temperature. Spotting a heater by the duo, she realized exactly why the normally fit people were so sweaty. Bikram yoga was done in a 105 degree room for maximum calorie burning and muscle relaxation.

 

“When did you two get so chummy?”

 

The two fell out of their position easily and turned to face Lois, Chloe reaching out to turn off the heater, “Hey, cuz. Oliver and I have known each other a while, remember?” the blonde covered, not lying, but still misleading the other girl.

 

Lois raised an eyebrow, “It seemed like you’d met but weren’t exactly friendly.”

 

“We’re friendly now,” Oliver finally spoke, “Chloe’s staying for a while, it’s a new city and she’s your family so we’re friends now.”

 

Lois opened her mouth to speak, but Chloe stepped in, “What are you doing here anyway?”

 

Sidetracked, the brunette once again became excited about her news, “My editor is putting my new Green Arrow Bandit article on the front page. I’m a front page reporter!”

 

Oliver grimaced but tried to smile at his excited girlfriend. Chloe did genuinely smile, happy for her cousin, but was a little confused. Who was the Green Arrow Bandit? Hmm, maybe she’d have to do some research on Metropolis. She hadn’t known there were any major bad guys in the city…


	5. Chapter 5

Chloe sighed as she walked down the dark streets late at night. She quickened her pace as she neared her new apartment. Earlier that day she had decided to explore the city by simply walking around with no destination in mind. While it had been a fun experience, it had also left her on the other side of the city with no clear way home. She ended up having to retrace her steps completely, which took a lot of time and led to her wandering the dangerous streets of Metropolis at one in the morning.

Smiling as she spotted the Indian restaurant that was only four blocks away from where she now lived, she began to speed up to a light jog, eager to get out of her high heels. She had planned on going on her little exploratory jaunt, so was wearing comfortable jeans and a cute grey cotton top. Unfortunately, she hadn't planned on being out as long as she had (though who could blame her when there was an entire city to explore?) and her feet were now killing her.

She was so focused on nearing her destination that she, at first, missed the sounds of quick footsteps behind her, but when those steps became accompanied by another's, she noticed. She risked a quick peak to her side under the guise of pulling back a loose tendril of hair and noticed a man about her age looking at her steadily.

Years of living in Gotham gave her a sixth sense when it came to danger. She didn't bother looking for the second man, his footsteps giving away his location. Chloe pretended not to notice the other two, but the minute she turned the corner, broke into a full fledged run.

She heard the two men curse behind her as they turned the corner also to find her already half way down the block. She heard their heavy footsteps as they also began to run. She wasn't sure if these guys were creeps of the street or if they were knowingly targeting her. However, considering their silence, she guessed the latter. In her experience, gangsters and muggers liked to talk. Only professionals kept quiet. Now, she was left wondering if she was being attacked because of the dirt she dug up for her job or because of the dirt she dug up for her job. The only way to find out was to let herself get caught and there was no way she was going to risk that.

Picking up the speed, she turned another corner. The good news was the she was only two blocks away from her apartment and the 24-hr doorman that came with it. The bad news was that this street was a one-way, barely used street. No witnesses if the dup caught up with her. Pressing on even harder, she used all her strength. Running for your life was a lot like running for a marathon. It was usually better to save some energy and press the hardest at the end so that you didn't tire out halfway through the journey. However, in this case, Chloe felt it more prudent to power through the dark street now where anything could happen and no one would know than to wait until she was on her street, which was filled with apartments and the doormen that went with them.

She had a good plan put together, so it was rather unfortunate when her heel chose that moment to break. Stumbling, but not falling, Chloe cursed. It was a brand new shoe! Then again, heels weren't meant for intense running. Sighing, Chloe didn't bother trying to run again. The men were already catching up, she couldn't run with one heel and by the time she broke the other heel or slipped her shoes off, they'd already have her. Instead, Chloe opted to take these few seconds to catch her breath and ready herself for a fight.

Spinning to face the men (who appeared slightly surprised that she was giving up) she gripped her clutch purse tightly and balled her other hand into a fist. As soon as the two were in range, she threw her purse into Man A's face as she used the distraction to take down Man B. She was a good fighter; she had to be considering where she lived and what her line of work was. No one liked a snoop, especially in Gotham. When fighting multiple opponents, the best thing to do was to take them on one at a time, quickly and efficiently, before they could gang up on you.

She delivered a punch to Man B's face and kicked out at the back of his knees, forcing his legs to buckle to the ground. She back handed his face hard and he felt face first into the hard concrete. Then she focused on Man A, who had recovered from receiving a purse to the face and was glaring menacingly. He ran forward to tackle her. Normally, the best way to handle a tackling opponent is to dodge, but he was too close and she didn't have time to do anything other than brace herself for impact. Instead of falling to the ground like she expected, he kept pushing until she was thrown against a hard brick wall. Wincing she kept herself from falling at the impact, her head protesting. She threw a punch and caught Man A in the stomach. He had been surprised that she got up and hadn't been on his game. Unfortunately, the tackling had put a crimp in her plans because it had given Man B time to recover and she was once again, outnumbered and now, she was also backed against a wall.

"Who are you? Who do you work for?" Chloe demanded, trying to buy some time to think of a plan.

The men said nothing, just enclosed on her. They knew she had no where to run. Things weren't looking good for Chloe, but if she was going down, she was going to go down swinging. Just as she was about to strike out, an arrow whipped between her and her attackers causing all three to look to the side and up, where it came from. There, standing on a fire escape was a figure in green with a crossbow in his hand.

"I don't think the lady's interested, guys," The man snarked with an electronic tinged voice, "You might have better luck at the bar down the street."

Man A turned to face the intruder while Man B kept an eye on Chloe. Chloe used the opportunity to strike at Man A's back. He stumbled in surprise and she winced when Man B grabbed her wrist tightly. The figure in green used this opportunity to drop down from the fire escape, shooting an arrow into Man A before he could get back up. Man A twitched as though shocked causing both she and Man B to watch on in surprise. The figure in green took the opening to break Chloe away from the guy's grip. When neither of them were touching the bad guy, he was also shot with a shock arrow causing him to twitch on the ground.

"Huh," Chloe said, impressed. The man next to her was dressed in green leather and flinging arrows everywhere, so he was clearly the Green Arrow Bandit, but he seemed more like hero than zero. Maybe Lois was wrong about this guy, "Hey, thanks for that," She spoke as she bent down to grab her ruined purse, "Don't get me wrong. Given a minute, I woulda kicked their asses." Oliver's lips twitched into a smile. He was starting to see the Sullivan-Lane resemblance. She turned to face him, "but clearly I didn't have a minute and-" Chloe's eyes finally locked with his own, "Oliver?"

Oliver internally started in surprise, his heart plummeting, before outwardly smiling arrogantly, "Sorry, who?"

But she wasn't paying attention to his words, only his features. She took several steps closer and latched onto his chin, relentlessly turning his face and examining him, "Oh, please," She said forcefully, "Like I can't recognize that jaw line, that chin? What am I, blind? Do you not remember how many times my lips licked, sucked, nipped and kissed along that jaw? My god, how could Lois not know?" She asked as she started wondering about her cousin's IQ.

Oliver shifted uncomfortably due to, not only her very accurate guess, but the erotic memories her words drew up. Suddenly it was like he was back at that party in New York.

_He was sipping champagne, nodding along with every vapid thing the senator was telling him, when he caught a flash of white out of the corner of his eye. He turned to face that direction, but didn't see anything. It was unusual for women to wear white to these parties. White dresses tended to look bridal. Oliver turned his head back to the senator when he saw white again. This time he turned in time to catch a glimpse of a blonde goddess. And he did mean goddess. She was wearing a Grecian style, low cut white dress with a large gold cuff and a flash of green spoke of a large pendant. He murmured an excuse to the senator and dazedly made his way to the woman. Putting on a charming grin, he tapped her shoulder and when she turned around, he asked, "Would you care to dance?" Her face was young. Maybe even too young. But her eyes were indifferent and old. She had seen things in this world most her age would never think of._

_"I don't dance," She spoke simply, turning her head in a clear dismissal._

_But he just grinned at the challenge and placed himself in front of her, "How about making an exception?" He said charmingly._

_Chloe looked him up and down in appraisal causing Oliver to grin. This was the part where she recognized him and/or liked what she saw and gave him a chance._

_Chloe lifted an unimpressed brow, "Sorry, Bub, but the only dancing I do is horizontal," She retorted before swiftly turning her back on his dumbfounded expression and walking away._

_Half an hour later (around Hour Two of the boring party), Oliver spotter her again, this time at the bar. She was cornered by some snobby looking business man and Oliver moved closer, intent on rescuing her when he caught the last of her words._

_"Excuse you, but girls with asses like mine do not talk to guys with faces like yours*," Chloe replied roughly as she shook her arm free and stalked past him, shoving him to the side with her body, giving both men ample view of said ass as she stomped away._

_"Whoa there, Tiger," Oliver grinned, easily turning to walk with her, "What happened?"_

_"Some men are just pigs," She sneered before pausing to run over her words and the then physically stopping, causing Oliver to still next to her, "Sorry. No offense."_

_He grinned in response, "Its fine. He seemed handsy. I was actually about to come over and see if you needed a rescue."_

_She raised a sculpted blonde eyebrow, "And what makes you think I need rescuing?"_

_"You never know. Everyone needs help sometime," Oliver paused, watching her eyes as she seemed to process his words and take them at face value, "What was some line you tossed him. You seem to have a habit of shocking people."_

_Chloe's forehead wrinkled in confusion before apparently remembering her previous remark not only to Mr. Octopus but to Oliver as well, "You were asking for that."_

_He laughed good-naturedly, genuinely amused, "How so? I recall asking you to dance."_

_"You may have said the word 'dance' but that wasn't what you were really asking," She replied matter-of-factly, ignoring his amused look at her bluntness, "As for Hands- well, actually, I got that line out of a movie. But it was good, right?"_

_"Definitely," Oliver smiled, taking the risk to scan her voluptuous back side._

_Not noticing, Chloe smiled up at him in genuine like. She stuck out her hand, "Chloe Sullivan."_

_He reached out to grip it, "Oliver Queen."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Author's Note: The line came from the movie "She's the Man"


	6. Chapter 6

Chloe smiled mischievously into her cup of hot chocolate as she tucked her cold feet under Oliver’s thigh. She gave a silent chuckle at his flinch before making an innocent face, complete with large doe eyes at his glare. After Chloe’s realization earlier that night, Oliver had taken them back to his apartment where he told her the basics of how he became Green Arrow. Now, they were kicking back watching hero movies at four o’clock in the morning.

 

Oliver was clad in a pair of comfy sweats and one of his old Harvard shirts. Chloe was wearing the same clothes as before, but had kicked off her painful shoes earlier. After the attackers were tied up and left on the streets for the police to find (via anonymous tip), Chloe had broken the heel of her other shoe so that she’d at least be able to walk in her shoes.

 

Oliver glanced over at Chloe from the corner of his eye. She appeared entranced in the film. This was the first time he had ever revealed his secret to someone… or at least to someone who wasn’t also a hero. This was certainly the first time someone figured it out on their own and with so little help. All she had needed was to look at his face and even with a hood, glasses and a distorter, she knew exactly who he was. She knew him that well.

 

Chloe shifted slightly in discomfort causing Oliver’s eyes to sneak back to her. She scratched at her chest for a second before absent mindedly tugging out a necklace that had been underneath her turtleneck. It was a clear green pendant and dangled from a dark green rope style necklace. Instinctively, he reached out to touch it, his breath catching as he remembered.

 

Chloe threw her head back in a breathless laugh as his hands skimmed down her sides before reaching behind her to grab her voluptuous ass, bringing her body closer.

 

Oliver let out a groan as she rubbed herself against him, her fingertips lightly caressing his neck. He pushed her hard against the elevator wall, grinding himself into her, smirking at the gasp she gave.

 

Finally, the elevator let out a sound, letting them know they’d reached the penthouse suite. Oliver blindly backed the duo up before getting tired of their mutual fumbling toward the bedroom and simply picked her up.

 

The loose skirts of her gown allowed her to easily wrap her legs around his waist as he began to navigate to his bedroom. She lightly nibbled on his neck and ear, driving him crazy with her light touches. Hard enough to turn him on, but light enough that he was close to begging for more.

 

Finally laying her down on the bed, he got up and quickly removed his tuxedo. He turned his attention back to Chloe to find her hand slowly sneaking up her thigh, leading her dress up and revealing delicious skin. He looked up into her eyes to find her staring back hungrily, seductively and arrogantly. She knew exactly what she was doing to him.

 

Trying to regain some power, he pulled her up by the hand and reached to the back of the dress to undo her white gown, but came up empty. She smiled slightly and leaned back. Chloe shifted her shoulders and the straps came down. Shrugging out of them, she then wiggled slightly to get the tight bodice down to her waist before tugging the elastic over her hips where they fell to her feet. The low cut dress had a bra sort of built into the dress, so she stood in front of him in nothing but a pair of white lace panties.

 

Oliver grinned and dragged her back to the bed, pulling her close and leaving butterfly kisses on her neck and chest before moving down to lave her breasts with attention. Chloe let out a harsh gasp, her hand automatically going up to clutch at his hair hard as he suckled and licked her nipple. Oliver continued the stimulus until Chloe let out a small sob. He continued his trail south, taking a quick second to lick her bellybutton, before using his teeth to lower her underwear.

 

He traveled back up her legs, intent on tasting her, but she quickly wrapped her legs around him and flipped them over. Her eyes were teasing and mischievous as she followed the exact same pattern he laid out. She started with butterfly kisses and ended by pulling his boxer briefs down with her teeth. However, when Chloe made her way back up, Oliver simply raised an eyebrow, curious to see what she would do next now that she was no longer copying his earlier actions.

 

Curiosity satisfied. He could barely think as Chloe’s mouth moved over his length. She started out with hard suction, catching him off guard as Oliver let out a groan; his eyes rolled back in pleasure and his hips involuntarily lifted off the bed. Then she slowed down to an almost tortuously erotic pace that had him relaxing and moaning for more. Just as Oliver began to get frustrated, she sped back up until his head was so cloudy he couldn’t think straight, his hand reaching down to grip at her hair tightly, tugging harshly when the pleasure seemed almost too much.

 

Sensing he was getting too close to the edge, Chloe let go with a loud pop before crawling up his body, smirking as the blond panted beneath her, trying to regain his equilibrium. Once he’d calmed down a bit, he looked up at her arrogant face and growled playfully. He gripped her thigh and turned them over. It was his turn to play.

 

Oliver wasted no time traveling down her body to her warm center. He gave an exploratory lick causing Chloe’s breath to catch before he really went to work. Soon, Chloe was moaning, her head twisting back and forth as she gripped the sheets tightly. Oliver licked and sucked, bringing her close to the edge over and over just to back down before she could crash. Finally, she had enough torture, “Fuck me, damn it,” she screamed.

 

Oliver chuckled, but had no problem granting her wish. Moving up her body, he lifted up one of her legs and positioned himself. Chloe looked up and their gaze met. There was a moment’s pause before he thrust in, continuing to stare into her eyes. He let his eyes close for a moment as he reveled in the feel of her, before opening them once more to regain eye contact. As he began thrusting, he lightly pondered over the eye contact. Looking her in the eyes made the act extremely intimate, something he did not usually partake in. Typically, Oliver was a love them and leave them type, but this seemed different; tender. There was a connection between them that he wasn’t fighting and by looking her in the eye it was almost like he was acknowledging it. It was like they were making love. But that was crazy. They barely knew each other. How can you make love to a complete stranger?

 

Chloe shifted positions, wrapping her legs around Oliver’s waist. Ollie let out a groan and buried his head in her neck, picking up the pace and slamming into her harder. He was almost there… He reached down to lightly play with her clit; timing his touches with his thrusts.

 

Chloe let out a harsh gasp as she fell over the edge hard, sobbing out his name as she came. Oliver grit his teeth and slammed into her one more time before following her.

 

After a second, Oliver flipped over to lie on the other side of the bed. The two blonds lay panting for a while before they both turned to face each other. They both wondered about the odd connection they seemed to feel.

 

“Tell me about yourself, Oliver Queen,” Chloe commanded softly.

 

Oliver blinked in surprise but began talking none-the-less. To his surprise, he told her everything. He told her about his parents, about Excelsior, about the island, Tess and Queen Industries. He tried to be vague in the beginning but Chloe’s piercing look told him that he didn’t fool her, which led to him opening up even more. He began confessing the guilt he felt over Duncan, the poor scholarship kid he indirectly killed and Tess, the environmentalist girlfriend he cheated on. He even confessed that he hated his parents for leaving him alone. For choosing to get on that plane the day they died instead of staying home with him. And then he confessed that he felt guilty for feeling that way because it wasn’t their fault.

 

Chloe reached out and tucked her hand into his own much larger one, “You don’t hate them. You’re angry. Anger comes from pain. Even now, all these years later, you still feel the pain of their loss.”

 

Then Chloe began confessing. She spoke of her own anger at her mother for abandoning her and her dad. She spoke of LuthorCorp and being raised in Metropolis. Then she talked about moving to Gotham and how mad she was at her father for uprooting them. Then she talked about the city; the violence and the drugs and the crime. She spoke of fear and terror, of refusing to leave her house for a week after she was almost raped while on her way home from school. Then she talked about meeting her best friend and finding strength and courage. She talked about her curiosity and her investigations; her need to know the truth. She spoke about her dad and his job and all the moving around she did, because of it. Lastly, she talked about the parties. The boring socialite parties she went to because of her dad and her friends. She could be investigating political officials, but instead she was stuck dancing the waltz and listening to the latest gossip.

 

Oliver squeezed her hands, “These parties are superficial. They’re meant to make people feel better about themselves. ‘I’ll donate $10,000 and now I won’t feel guilty when I cut down a couple hundred acres of rain forest.’ It’s stupid. But at least the money helps people.”

 

Chloe sighed and nodded reluctantly, “I don’t like it, but you’re right. At the very least, we’re helping people in need.”

 

Oliver blinked down at her. He had no idea why he’d told her half the things he had and he had no idea why she reciprocated. This was turning out to be the most surreal night of his life.

 

Sensing his confusion and the morose mood, Chloe decided to liven up the atmosphere. She swung her body up and straddled him. Oliver looked up at her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, his body coming to life immediately.

 

“Come on, lover,” she smiled widely, tossing the sheet high up over their head with one hand. As the white cloth slowly descended, she reached out to gently caress his cheek, a soft smile on her face and a kind look in her eye.

 

Oliver looked up to meet Chloe’s hazy eyes. It was clear that she was remembering that night too, “You were wearing this the night we met.”

 

“Hmm?” Chloe asked dazedly before coming back to her senses, “Oh. Yes. Venetian glass.”

 

Leaning in to take a closer look, Oliver could see the figure of a woman carved into the face of the green glass. Looking up, his breath caught as he noticed how close he was to her now. Oliver was practically on top of Chloe, their faces inches apart. Oliver couldn’t help it as his eyes lowered to her lips. Chloe’s tongue darted out to lick them nervously, causing Oliver to swallow hard, his eyes darting back up. Chloe’s dark eyes met his and time seemed to stand still for an instant.

 

The vibrating of a cell phone interrupted the moment and Oliver cleared his throat awkwardly as he quickly backed away to sit back on his side of the couch. Looking at the cell phone, he inwardly winced. Lois.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Chloe sighed as she lazed around her apartment. She hadn't heard from Oliver in three days. Not since their almost kiss…

Chloe plopped down on the couch and spread out, slinging one leg over the arm rest and the other splaying out to rest on her coffee table. She also wondered about the guys who were chasing her that night. Who were they? Who did they work for? Why were they interested in her?

She vaguely heard the sound of a key in the lock and realized that it must be one already. Lois had wanted to come by to see Chloe's new apartment and said she would be bringing lunch that afternoon.

"Nice, cuz," Lois commented, walking into Chloe place. It was a simple one bedroom apartment with hardwood floors, an updated stainless steel kitchen with marble counters and a balcony. Lois walked over to sit in the large comfy chair diagonal to where Chloe was spread out. The brunette set down the Chinese food she had picked up on the coffee table and began setting the food up. "So word on the street is the Green Arrow broke into another home last night."

"Oh?" Chloe asked, sitting up. "Another rich guy?" she questioned, mindlessly taking one of the cartons Lois handed to her as she scoured the take out bag for a pair of chopsticks.

"Robbing the rich to give to the poor is still a crime," Lois answered instead, having already had this conversation with Chloe. Chloe liked the green vigilante. She said he had style. Lois thought he was a menace who should be unmasked for all of the world to see. "What happens if he robs Ollie?"

Chloe snorted in amusement but quickly tried to cover it up when Lois glared. "I think Oliver can take care of himself," she said instead.

"Well if this Green Arrow guy tries anything on our date this Saturday, I'll knock his lights out," Lois threatened, waving her chopsticks around.

Chloe paused, the smile slipping off her face. "You have a date with Oliver this Saturday?"

"Mmm," Lois responded around a mouthful of lo mein, "He's taking me to some fancy French restaurant. And then back to his place for some dessert." Lois wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Chloe felt sick to her stomach. Even after their shared moment, Oliver was still going out with Lois. Okay, maybe it had been self-absorbed to assume he'd break things off with Lois in favor of Chloe, but to act like there was no difference in his relationship with her cousin when he had almost kissed Chloe! That was just… cruel.

"No details necessary," Chloe replied with a forced grin on her face. Fine, if that was how Oliver wanted to play it, then that was how they would play it. Oliver had hurt Chloe. It was time for Chloe to hurt him back.

A sharp ring echoed in the air, distracting Chloe. Lois reached into her purse and grimaced at the name on the phone. "Smallville," she explained before she picked up her cell. "What do you want?" she barked.

As Lois argued with the small town boy, a small smile began to make its way across Chloe's lips. This had to be some sort of sign; God, Fate or just coincidence, it didn't matter. Either way… this could work.

"So, what's up with you and Clark?" Chloe asked innocently once Lois hung up. There was no way that two people could fight that often and that fiercely without some underlying sexual tension. Lois wanted to jump that boy, no question. Now all Chloe had to do was show that to her.

The brunette looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Chloe looked up at her as though the answer was obvious. "I mean, you two fight like an old married couple. Did you two used to date or something?"

Lois looked horrified. "Me? And Smallville?" she asked in disgust. "You have got to be kidding! No!"

"So… bad break up," the blonde stated resolutely.

"NO!" Lois practically shrieked. "I have never and will never date that farm boy!"

Chloe smirked. "So… not yet." Now she was just teasing her cousin. Sensing this, Lois crossed her arms over her body and scowled at the blonde. Chloe held up her hands in surrender, a smile still on her lips. "Seriously though, there's nothing going on?"

"Nothing," Lois replied resolutely.

"Good," Chloe replied, going back to her food.

Lois paused for a moment, hesitating between letting it go and letting her curiosity get the better of her. Ultimately her curiosity won out. "Good how?"

Chloe shrugged innocently. "I just felt a thing, that's all."

"A thing?" Lois repeated.

Again, Chloe shrugged. "You know. Like a spark."

"A spark?" This time the words were said incredulously.

Chloe hummed around a bit of food in response.

Lois opened her mouth before slowly shutting it again. There wasn't anything she could really say to that. Chloe was her own person and so was Smallville. If the two wanted to have a… thing… then that was there business. It had nothing to do with Lois. "Your funeral," she muttered instead, angrily chomping on her fortune cookie.

Chloe almost felt bad for how worked up she was getting her cousin, but she had to make Lois see that Oliver wasn't the one she wanted. In the long run, Chloe was helping Lo.

"Of course you realize that he's still not over Lana, right?" Lois asked bitterly.

The blonde looked at her cousin carefully. "I don't think he can get over her without dating other people. If he doesn't date, he'll just end up wallowing in their past relationship."

Lois pouted lightly at her logic but kept her mouth shut.

Once more Chloe looked at the woman speculatively. "Are you sure there's nothing going on between you two?"

The brunette half flinched. "No. Nothing. He's Smallville," she snorted in derision, though her eyes trailed to the side as if she were lying.

Chloe allowed a small smirk to play on her lips. This might be easier than she realized. At the rate Lois was going, Oliver would be Chloe's by the end of the month. "So you wouldn't mind if I…"

Lois blinked, a weird expression crossed her face. "Go ahead. But like I said, he's still head over heels for Lana and I don't think a date with someone else will help," she spoke with a large, fake grin on her face.

Chloe smirked, realizing that her cousin was absolutely, one hundred percent jealous. "I'll take my chances."


End file.
